Thread: Listening to music during a workout -- beneficial or detrimental?

I don't know of any studies conducted on this but it is an excellent topic.
I train exclusively at home now but years ago when I did go to a public gym they actually had an seperate day for the "platinum Members"
These were typically the guys throwing iron. The big guys. There were no spin classes or nautilius junkies on these days, just the free weight guys and they purposely play NO music on these days. When I asked about this I was told that it was by request of the guys training there because they found the music distracting. These guys were serious shit too. They were pushing weight that few dared and they couldn't afford to miss a rep.
When I train at home, I don't have music playing either but not because I would be distracted by it.

IMO, I only like listening to music while doing cardio. When I'm lifting, I find music to be distracting and kind of pointless. I'm too focused on banging out that last rep that I don't even notice the music playing and music can distract you from putting all your focus into your movements. However, when I'm running on the treadmill I find music very beneficial because running in place for 30min is a boring, mindless feat and for me, listening to music motivates me to run more and takes my eyes off the clock on the machine. Listening to music makes the time go by quicker and I don't notice the intensity as much which allows me to run at higher speeds at longer intervals because I'm focusing on the music not the exercise.

Sometimes I listen to music sometimes i don't. Just depends on my mood I guess, seems to help when i'm feeling lazy.

I think this all depends on your brain function. See I'm one of those people who can't study, read, or revise without music and get distracted or bored easily without music, even when working out. However there's people who go to the library for the peace and quiet. I think the same sort of logic/brain function may be applicable in working out.

If it's other peoples music it is a distraction and annoying.

I use music/earphones to eliminate distractions. It makes you less approachable. I'm not there to find new friends or new tits to suck on.

If I don't have my music, I don't workout. Period

In the days of $20 mp3 players, the gym music has got to go. There is no need for it. I would workout in dead silence if it weren't for the gay ass pop bullshit being blasted at me fucking my concentration.

My mp3 players is more of way to keep distraction out, than to actually lift to music.

How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health

Music is one of the few activities that involves using the whole brain. It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits not only for learning language, improving memory and focusing attention, but also for physical coordination and development.

Effective therapy for pain

Overall, music does have positive effects on pain management. Music can help reduce both the sensation and distress of both chronic pain and postoperative pain.

Music causes the body to release endorphins to counteract pain.

Music can boost the immune function. Scientists explain that a particular type of music can create a positive and profound emotional experience, which leads to secretion of immune-boosting hormones. This helps contribute to a reduction in the factors responsible for illness. Listening to music or singing can also decrease levels of stress-related hormone cortisol. Higher levels of cortisol can lead to a decreased immune response.

Choosing music that motivates you will make it easier to start moving, walking, dancing, or any other type of exercise that you enjoy. Music can make exercise feel more like recreation and less like work. Furthermore, music enhances athletic performance. Anyone who has ever gone on a long run with their iPod or taken a particularly energetic spinning class knows that music can make the time pass more quickly.

The four central hypotheses explaining music's facilitation of exercise performance include:

1. Reduction in the feeling of fatigue
2. Increase in levels of psychological arousal
3. Physiological relaxation response
4. Improvement in motor coordination

Music improves body movement and coordination

Music reduces muscle tension and improves body movement and coordination. Music may play an important role in developing, maintaining and restoring physical functioning in the rehabilitation of persons with movement disorders.

From Surprising Effects Of Music

Great post Curt. If you like that, you might also like Daniel J. Levitin's books: This is Your Brain On Music and The world in Six Songs

In TIYBOM, Daniel covers cutting edge research on the neurophysiological affects of music on the brain.

TWISS, is more of a book about how and why evolution gave us the great gift. It is pretty technical at times, and more nerdy human evolution buffs tend to like it more. I loved them both.

Cool. Thanks for the tip.

While lifting I have my headset on my ears, but turned off. I find people won't try to talk to me that way. (small town gym, people always trying to catch up with you) Cardio I listen to music.

Also, if people think you have music piped straight into your head you can catch some pretty funny conversations without them knowing.

Originally Posted by efp11

While lifting I have my headset on my ears, but turned off. I find people won't try to talk to me that way. (small town gym, people always trying to catch up with you) Cardio I listen to music.

Also, if people think you have music piped straight into your head you can catch some pretty funny conversations without them knowing.

Shit doesn't work for me. I have mine on and listening and they still come over and talk. Even right when I'm breathing deep and looking like I'm getting ready to bust a nut before starting the next set.

Originally Posted by Merkaba

Shit doesn't work for me. I have mine on and listening and they still come over and talk. Even right when I'm breathing deep and looking like I'm getting ready to bust a nut before starting the next set.

Headphones also dont work for me. I still overhear how the asian dude next to me boasts to his friend about a girl that looked at his hard bicep in town when he was wearing a skin tight shirt to show off his 10 inch bicep!

Originally Posted by T_man

Headphones also dont work for me. I still overhear how the asian dude next to me boasts to his friend about a girl that looked at his hard bicep in town when he was wearing a skin tight shirt to show off his 10 inch bicep!

I hear ya. I love these 90 pound 16 year olds who brag to shit about thier 6 pack abs. Gimme a f#$kin' break. You're 90 pounds!! If you turn sideways you'd disappear completely.. of course your abs are showing you skinny bastard. I can see your liver and spleen too. Shmuck.

Originally Posted by KelJu

In the days of $20 mp3 players, the gym music has got to go. There is no need for it. I would workout in dead silence if it weren't for the gay ass pop bullshit being blasted at me fucking my concentration.

My mp3 players is more of way to keep distraction out, than to actually lift to music.

yup. I have a bench at home, but not enough weight to really throw stuff around (250 or so). So heavy benching, deads, and rackless squats are all out. If im at home for a makeup w/o, the music is off. But at the gym, I have to listen to my music as I simply can not do deadlifts to Christiana Aguileras' "genie in a bottle."

My gym doesn't play music anymore.

I find myself listening to my own music less these days at the gym, especially on a highly technical lift like the clean.

Also, I don't want to condition myself to only be able to summon strength and motivation by listening to music. I don't want it to develop into a crutch so to speak.

I am enjoying the quiet more recently for motivation.

Originally Posted by fufu

My gym doesn't play music anymore.

I find myself listening to my own music less these days at the gym, especially on a highly technical lift like the clean.

Also, I don't want to condition myself to only be able to summon strength and motivation by listening to music. I don't want it to develop into a crutch so to speak.

I am enjoying the quiet more recently for motivation.

This is a big problem for many people. Once you condition yourself to using music, it messes you to not have it. There were many days that my ipod battery died, so I said fuck it, and went home.

I don't like listening to music while I'm lifting but I gotta have it when I'm doing cardio.

Originally Posted by KelJu

This is a big problem for many people. Once you condition yourself to using music, it messes you to not have it. There were many days that my ipod battery died, so I said fuck it, and went home.

Thats interesting that you say that and I was going to agree immediately until I thought of my Sport Psych class.

"In the zone." You ever hear anyone say this? A friend? A celeb athlete? Yourself? I know I have. Its usually marked around that 'second wind' hit.

You wont ever know going into it, otherwise, there is no zone, but its basically a time when you dont hear anything or more less dont pay attention to anything but the activity.

To give a personal example, I enter the gym and turn my mp3 on. I go through the songs to get to one I want to get me going, per say. Then I may switch up the music while I rest for a heavy lift or prepare it FOR the heavy lift. Next thing I know, 3 songs have passed and I didnt even know it.

"In the zone"

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Thats interesting that you say that and I was going to agree immediately until I thought of my Sport Psych class.

"In the zone." You ever hear anyone say this? A friend? A celeb athlete? Yourself? I know I have. Its usually marked around that 'second wind' hit.

You wont ever know going into it, otherwise, there is no zone, but its basically a time when you dont hear anything or more less dont pay attention to anything but the activity.

To give a personal example, I enter the gym and turn my mp3 on. I go through the songs to get to one I want to get me going, per say. Then I may switch up the music while I rest for a heavy lift or prepare it FOR the heavy lift. Next thing I know, 3 songs have passed and I didnt even know it.

"In the zone"

So what is it that you are not agreeing with?

I was just saying that for me to focus, I have to be the only thing in the room. I have to exist to breathe and go through the movements. The noise of people talking, bullshitting, bad music, ect all those things completely wreck my focus.


When I am in the zone, as you say, I don't really even hear the music most of the time. I rarely change songs, and have used the same playlist for over 3 years.

Originally Posted by KelJu

So what is it that you are not agreeing with?

I was just saying that for me to focus, I have to be the only thing in the room. I have to exist to breathe and go through the movements. The noise of people talking, bullshitting, bad music, ect all those things completely wreck my focus.


When I am in the zone, as you say, I don't really even hear the music most of the time. I rarely change songs, and have used the same playlist for over 3 years.

So....could you be the only thing in the room by listening to Britney Spears - "Toxic"?

I used to listen to this one song almost exclusively when attempting a 1RM in the deadlift. That was over the course of about 2 years.

Whenever I hear that song to do this day, I will get a large adrenaline dump no matter what I am doing.

I've sort of reversed the method of getting "pumped up". Now I'm playing around with relaxing as much as possible. However, when I have to move that big weight for one rep, I usually go back to "berserk mode". 90% of the time I try to keep my wits about myself, though.

I have found that the best mindset or "zone" is a dynamic layer of extreme calm and extreme uncontainable action.

Originally Posted by KelJu

So what is it that you are not agreeing with?

I was just saying that for me to focus, I have to be the only thing in the room. I have to exist to breathe and go through the movements. The noise of people talking, bullshitting, bad music, ect all those things completely wreck my focus.


When I am in the zone, as you say, I don't really even hear the music most of the time. I rarely change songs, and have used the same playlist for over 3 years.

I wasnt disagreeing. During my strongest moments, music to my head turns off. Or maybe its a distraction. Either way, the music isnt what fuels me during the zone times.

My playlist doesnt change either. Its on shuffle and sometimes I change the songs that I would play during stretching or cardio than when I first walk into the gym.

Originally Posted by fufu

My gym doesn't play music anymore.

I find myself listening to my own music less these days at the gym, especially on a highly technical lift like the clean.

Also, I don't want to condition myself to only be able to summon strength and motivation by listening to music. I don't want it to develop into a crutch so to speak.

I am enjoying the quiet more recently for motivation.

Don't know about for motivation necessarily but I do love the quiet versus music in the gym. Something motivating just about the clanging of plates together, imo.

Originally Posted by Curt James

Don't know about for motivation necessarily but I do love the quiet versus music in the gym. Something motivating just about the clanging of plates together, imo.

What I meant was not literally silence motivates me. But I find it easier to keep my mind in the right place during training when it is quiet. That is in contrast to music, which can be distracting at times.

I'd love a quiet gym all to myself, I think that would be the best environment for me.